St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-01-02
ANNUAL ICE HARVEST.
How Minneapolis Ice Houses Are Being
Filled With the Frigid
Crystals.
Scenes en- River and Lake, Where the
Cooling Cubes Are Gut
and Stored.
This Years Crop to Run to 175, 200
Tons and Largely Shatter
the Record.
Capacity of the Minneapolis Ice
Houses and Comparisons
of Former Crops.

Minneapolis, while partaking somewhat
OF the nature of cold country in winter,
does not have its lakes and rivers covered
with ice the year around, as some of the
papers in envious Eastern cities would
make it appear. Not at all. In summer
the mercury frequently rises quite as high
as any reasonable person could wish, and
the demand for ice of all kinds, from that
used to pack around bodies to that used for
water cooling purposes, is something enor-
nous. All the ice that is used here during
the summer months is not shipped here
from distant lakes by any means. nor is it
all cut from the numerous lakes which sur
round this city. On the contrary large
share of it is taken from the noble and
muddy Mississippi river. Very little of the
ice obtained from this source is used in pri-
vate families. Its chief purchasers are the
saloon men and the undertakers. Few per-
sons going into saloon Oh hot summer
day and calling for an iced drink care
little where the ice comes from so long as
it is there, and certainly none of the per-
SOUS OH whom it is used in the undertaking
establishments have ever uttered any pro-
test against the use of river ice for packing
purposes,
uog AOM fClC lCC ID Gut 1IOhl luC 11fC1 10
not clear to some people. A few have an
idea that the water freezes in squares.
and lies around in square or oblong blocks
ready for the ice man to come around and
convey it to his ice house. This view is
not correct. Neither is the view of others
that those desiring to gather ice go to the
river just as the weather begins to get cold
and fill large square pans with water, which
freezes and comes out day or so latter in
the shape of a cake of ice. For some days
past extensive ice cutting has been going
on just above and below the suspension
bridge, where the river is broad and deep,
and in the canal Oh the East side. The
methods pursued have been watched
by many interested spectators.
who lined the bridge until
that structure resembled fence near a
cornfield, with hundred or so blackblrds
sitting on the topmost rail, watching for an
opportunity to dash in and get taste of
the new corn. The spectator standing on
the bridge and GO ing at the river below
| sees number men approaching with
horses and what appears to him to be regu-
| lar dirt scoops. such as are used in leveling
roads. The horses are hitched to these
scoops and then the fiji work commences.
| There is a half foot of loose snow ON the ice
| dllu LIllS LluSG Uo removed before any CUT
ting can be done. The space from which
| ice can be cut has already been marked out.
| The teams are set to work dragging the
snow to one side with these big scoops, and
in short time the glaring ice, looking a
greenish blue color, IS laid bare. Now the
scoops are retired and in their places are
| brought on harrows, very similar to the
ones used by the farmers in raking over a
filed just before seeding. Instead of the
prongs, however, are small knives.
| These are set at certain distance
apart. and as the harrow is driven
from one END the clearing to the other
| leave little clesT cut tracks half an inch
deep about foot apart. After the field
has been travelled lengthwise the same pro-
cess is repeated across, and when the work
is finished gigantic checkerboard, the
squares all of the same color, lies stretched
out on the ice.
Now everything is ready for the sawyers,
who soon put in an appearance, armed with
| long, coarse tOothed saws. with cross
| handle at one end. After removing one OF
TWO cakes at the upper end of the field and
sliding a sort of tramway into the opening.
so that the rest of the cakes may be pulled
out easily, the saving commences in ear
nest. The first half days work will leave
an opening something like this: